One Sweet Dash
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PassionFord Post Whore!!
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Skelmersdale, Lancashire
One Sweet Dash
Was looking through another forum when I remembered this dash, and thought it was cool as fuck so thought id forward it on..............
AFter waiting for 6 months for a specific aftermarket dash for my race car to materialise (still hasn't!) I got on and built my own. Took me less than 10 weeks from start to finish, including installing the hardware, custom fabrication and all the custom software.
Hardware is a VIA MII-12000, running Win2K (hoping to use XPe or WinAutomotive soon) and my own custom written software front end. Data comes from the ECU (non Ford) and a standalone data logger to allow graphic representation of over 100 different channels. Dash buttons allow swapping between different road (two shown below), race, diagnostic and configuration screens.
Dash housing is a 7" TFT mounted in carbon fibre panel behind standard clear reflector to minimise light reflection. The stadnard warning idnicators were chopped up and moved around. Connections to standard loom were kept which allows me to swap back to standard cluster in under five minutes if I need to).
I'm still working on the race screens at the moment and have incorporated such features as displaying a gauage to indicate amount of time you are up or down on best lap at any point on the circuit and also an automatic stopwatch for timing the runs.
Been using it for around 10 hours now and been 100% reliable, though I have built in several "watchdog / auto restart" features to recover if something does go pear shaped.
As its a race car, I'm not too bothered if it does crash though as I have a totally separate shift light system to indicate rpm and all the warning lights are also hardwired as well
Hardware is a VIA MII-12000, running Win2K (hoping to use XPe or WinAutomotive soon) and my own custom written software front end. Data comes from the ECU (non Ford) and a standalone data logger to allow graphic representation of over 100 different channels. Dash buttons allow swapping between different road (two shown below), race, diagnostic and configuration screens.
Dash housing is a 7" TFT mounted in carbon fibre panel behind standard clear reflector to minimise light reflection. The stadnard warning idnicators were chopped up and moved around. Connections to standard loom were kept which allows me to swap back to standard cluster in under five minutes if I need to).
I'm still working on the race screens at the moment and have incorporated such features as displaying a gauage to indicate amount of time you are up or down on best lap at any point on the circuit and also an automatic stopwatch for timing the runs.
Been using it for around 10 hours now and been 100% reliable, though I have built in several "watchdog / auto restart" features to recover if something does go pear shaped.
As its a race car, I'm not too bothered if it does crash though as I have a totally separate shift light system to indicate rpm and all the warning lights are also hardwired as well
The gaugeon the right is a SPA digital boost/temp gauge... been there a long time before the dash. I could replace it with whats available via the digital dash (also a LOT more accurate) - but I like the idea of having some sort of backup. The sequential shiftlight is also a perfect backup for rpm gauge, its also the main instrument I use when competing.
I've now done the "race" screens which monitor performance and give indication of faster/slower on best lap time. Gives 0-60 feet, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph and 1.4 mile times as well. Not to mention G - forces, automatic stop watch facility, alarm messages etc.
Just have to merge and store data from ECU and datalogger on-the-fly as its a pain to correleate the two.
I've now done the "race" screens which monitor performance and give indication of faster/slower on best lap time. Gives 0-60 feet, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph and 1.4 mile times as well. Not to mention G - forces, automatic stop watch facility, alarm messages etc.
Just have to merge and store data from ECU and datalogger on-the-fly as its a pain to correleate the two.
DEYTUKURJERBS
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 29,378
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From: North Korea
That looks AWESOME.
A flashy and expensive digi dash was gonna be one of my first buys for the Chaser.
Imagine my suprise when I turned the ign on for the first time and found this...
Not as awesome as some, but I had no idea it was there, and saved me a few grand
A flashy and expensive digi dash was gonna be one of my first buys for the Chaser.
Imagine my suprise when I turned the ign on for the first time and found this...
Not as awesome as some, but I had no idea it was there, and saved me a few grand
Thread Starter
PassionFord Post Whore!!
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,367
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From: Skelmersdale, Lancashire
Originally Posted by jay.
where did you find this 
The car was mag featured in PF April 06 if thats any use also.
That does look the titties....
But unless you can get him to write some custom software for you it`s a non starter.........Unless you want to pay a programmer zillions to develop some software for you....
This is one i`m gonna be using,matches my blue secs monitor too...
But unless you can get him to write some custom software for you it`s a non starter.........Unless you want to pay a programmer zillions to develop some software for you....
This is one i`m gonna be using,matches my blue secs monitor too...
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Originally Posted by Lee_R21Turbo
Robbie....Nice but the speed aint never going to register though with it being sat in the garage though will it!!!
When i drive it out and back in to wash it....
PassionFord Post Troll
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,984
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lol at all this - its awesome cool stuff - but surely its mostly irrelevant?
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
Originally Posted by Steven_RW
lol at all this - its awesome cool stuff - but surely its mostly irrelevant?
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
what do you mean u dont need this
come on steve you need the gadgets man oh to yes it is bling lol u gota love it
Originally Posted by Steven_RW
lol at all this - its awesome cool stuff - but surely its mostly irrelevant?
Originally Posted by Steven_RW
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
Errrrrr.........Yes
Part of the Furniture
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Steven_RW
lol at all this - its awesome cool stuff - but surely its mostly irrelevant?
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
A stop watch sellotaped to the dash and a rev counter is all u need.
When Im on track I dont read any guage except the rev counter and the passenger does the lap timing.
I know thats a bit black n white and the data logging rocks - however u prob dont need a dash that shows half or any of that stuff?
Is this just another case of bling?
RW
At the end of the course the stopwatch stops and displays your run time - saves having to wait for the timekeepers to publish it. During the run the dash is constantly updating to graphically show your performance compared to your best ever run over that course - resolution is down to the less than 1/20 second. Incredibly useful in seeing how a late braking manoeuvre really hurts you all the way down the next straight. Another benefit is that the car is double entered and at the press of the button you can load in data for the second driver.
Unless you compete in sprints / hillclimbs its hard to appreciate that events can be lost by tenths or even hundredths of a second.
Basic data analysis during the event can also indicate areas where further time can be saved and these are not always as obvious as you'd think.
I agree that most of the data is irrelevant when racing, but apart from the performance meter, a large speed indicator (picked up by in-car camera) and a small rev counter is all that's shown. Shift lights are the primary source for gear change - and the dash throws and logs alarms if required.
When I built this setup, the dashboards available a) had little or no support for open circuits (point to point - not round and round) b) simply didn't have the facilities / features of this... I believe the GEMS CD24 display might be the closest yet...
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